The invention relates to the light optical system, especially for information, advertising, illumination or decorative purposes, that consists of at least one light source and at least one light conductor.
The so far known light informative and illumination devices are arranged e.g. that way that the light source is located inside the said device. Such a way e.g. indicators, company shields, street lamps, and other objects are arranged, based on the light translucence. The drawback of such an arrangement is the fact that dimensions and shape of such devices are determined by the configuration of the light source used. Another, so far used method of informative and advertising devices construction is based on the principle of light guidance within a light conductor, e.g. in a lightguiding plate into which the light is introduced sideways, i.e. through one of its side rims, and it is conducted inside in the mode of absolute reflection. From the light conductor, the light gets off having reflected from the interface between light conductor and a target object. Light rays having reflection angle there that does not meet total reflection condition compose the image to the viewer of the target object that is located inside the light conductor or on its surface. The light conductor can be e.g. plate of organic substance, glass or a material of similar qualities. The light source that is usually a luminescent source of cold light is located along the side rim of the light conductor. With respect to the fact that the light source is an intrinsic part of the device and takes part on its appearance it is usually not possible to provide it with an effective reflector. The rays get off of such a source in all directions and a small amount of them cuts the light conductor side rim. And again, only a small amount of these has the direction meeting the condition necessary for entering the light conductor under the angle that secures light guidance in the mode of absolute reflection. The drawback of such a construction is that only a small amount of light rays that progress along the light conductor in the mode of absolute reflection come to the target object and compose an image. The other rays get absorbed by the device or leave it missing the target.
With respect to the above mentioned facts, the efficiency of so far known optical systems is low, such systems are used marginally as complements to another information systems only.
The aim of the invention is to improve the efficiency of the above described systems, at least to such a degree ensuring that these systems could be used for information, advertising, decorative or illumination purposes to a wide extent.
The above mentioned drawbacks do not occur with the light optical system especially for information, advertising, illumination or decorative purposes, that consists of at least one light source and at least one light conductor, especially lightguiding plate or lightguiding fibre, whose principle consists in the fact that it contains at least one optical element of the following set:
i) input element for the compression and/or rectification of light lead to the light conductor, that consists of a compression element and/or light conductor and located between a light source and an injector element that is an injector having input area,
ii) injector element for light introduction from the light source into the light conductor, consisting of at least one injector determined by the input area that projects out from the main surface of the light conductor wherein the surface lines of the injector input area contain an angle xcex1 bigger than 0xc2x0 and equal or smaller than 90xc2x0 with the main surface of the light conductor, secondary area that contain an angle xcex2 bigger than 0xc2x0 and smaller than 180xc2x0 with the input area, and a basis area that is identical with a part of the main surface of the light conductor,
iii) emiter element serving for the output of the light progressing through the light conductor from its main surface, that is composed of at least one emiter determined by its output area that projects out from the main surface of the light conductor wherein the surface lines of the emiter output area contain an angle xcex1xe2x80x2 bigger than 0xc2x0 and equal or smaller than 90xc2x0 with the main surface of the light conductor, secondary area that contains an angle xcex2xe2x80x2 bigger than 0xc2x0 and smaller than 180xc2x0 with the output area, and a basis area that is identical with a part of the main surface (P) of the light conductor,
iv) reflecting emiter element serving for the output of the light coming along the light conductor from its main surface, that is composed of at least one reflecting emiter composed of solid lightguiding material having refraction index higher than that of the air, that is determined by free surfaces and the base area that is identical with a part of the main surface of the light conductor, and located on the main surface of the light conductor in the section of the light conductor marked out for the guidance of the light beam wherein at least one reflecting-diffusive area is a part of the reflecting element and the interface between reflecting emiter and light conductor is optically homogeneous with the reflecting emiter and the light conductor,
v) reversing element for reversing the direction of the light travelling along light conductor, that consists of at least one reversing zone having at least one reflecting surface that projects out from the main surface of the light conductor wherein the surface lines of the reflecting surface contain an angle xcex1xe2x80x3 bigger than 0xc2x0 and smaller than 90xc2x0 with the main surface of the light conductor, and
vi) reflector element for modification the direction of the light travelling along light conductor by at least one mirror that projects out from the main surface of the light conductor wherein the mirror consists of gradually flecting surface having initial angle xcex1xe2x80x2xe2x80x3 between reflecting element mirror and light conductor main surface that is smaller than or equal to 45xc2x0.
It is advantageous to insert an input element between the light source and the injector that consists of a compression element and/or light conductor the output area of which corresponds to the injector size and position wherein in case of the system composed of compression element, light conductor and injector, the light conductor is placed between the compression element output area and the injector input area.
One implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the input area of an injector composed of a solid lightguiding material having refraction index higher than that of the air projects out of the light conductor main surface outwards the light conductor wherein the interface between injector and light conductor is optically homogeneous with the injector and the light conductor.
Another implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the input area of an injector projects out of the main surface of the light conductor inwards the light conductor.
Another implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the output area of an emiter composed of a solid lightguiding material having refraction index higher than that of the air projects out of the main surface of the light conductor outwards the light conductor wherein the interface between emiter and light conductor is optically homogeneous with the emiter and the light conductor.
Another implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the emiter output area projects out of the main surface of the light conductor inwards the light conductor wherein it contains an angle xcex1xe2x80x2 bigger than 0xc2x0 and smaller than or equal to 90xc2x0 with the main surface of the light conductor.
Another implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the reversing element is composed of a reversing zone in the form of lightguiding structure made of material having refraction index near to that of the light conductor that is connected to the light conductor though a joint optically homogeneous with the reversing zone and the light conductor wherein the reversing zone contains at least one reflecting surface.
Another implementation of a light optical system according to the invention is characterised by the lay-out wherein the reversing element is composed of a reversing zone containing at least one reflecting surface projecting out of the main surface of the light conductor inwards the light conductor wherein it contains an angle xcex1xe2x80x3 bigger than 0xc2x0 and smaller than 90xc2x0 with the main surface of the light conductor and at least one secondary area connecting the rim of the reflecting surface of the reversing area with the rim of the neighbouring reflecting surface of the reversing zone or with the beginning of the continuing main surface of the light conductor.
In the following description, the a.m. implementations of the light optical system according to the invention as well as other advantageous implementations of this system falling into the scope of the invention, as well as the advantages that can be achieved by using such implementations of the invention.
Under the notion xe2x80x9cmain surface of the light conductorxe2x80x9d, any surface of the light conductor should be understood that stretches basically in parallel with the direction of the light guidance in the light conductor. The remaining surface of the light conductor is composed of conductor parts denoted here as xe2x80x9cconductor side rimxe2x80x9d and does not fall in the scope of the notion xe2x80x9cmain surface of the conductorxe2x80x9d. With the lightguiding plate, the main surfaces are the both opposite large surfaces the distance of which is equal to the thickness of the plate whilst the side rims are the side lengthwise circumference areas having originated e.g. through cutting the plate out of a big format lightguiding material plate. With the lightguiding fibre, the main surface is its cylindric wall whilst its side rims are the round areas having originated through cutting the fibre from a longer piece.
In case of input and output area of an injector or an emiter projecting out of the main surface of the light conductor inwards the light conductor, it is necessary under the notion xe2x80x9cangles containing a.m. areas and light conductor main surfacexe2x80x9d to understand the angles containing these areas and the fictitious surface of the light conductor (as drawn in the figures by dashed lines) that fluently links to neighbouring real main surface of the light conductor.